It was quiet.

The chirping of birds filled the air, their songs carried by the gentle breeze that danced through the lush green grass. The earth, warm from the sun, seemed alive, vibrating with the pulse of nature.

On a comfortable wooden chair, a young blonde boy lay on his back, eyes closed, soaking in the sun's warmth. His skin, a shade darker than usual from the summer heat, glistened as he stretched lazily.

"Alexander, come on now," a sweet, melodic voice called from behind him.

He groaned, turning his face into the chair's backrest. "Mother Mary, I just started resting. Can't I get a few more hours?"

"We need to get those potatoes out of the ground before the lord's knights come to collect the tax," she replied with a gentle smile.

Mary's green eyes, a soft shade compared to Alex's dark green, gleamed with a quiet understanding. Her blonde hair, tied back neatly in a simple braid, framed a face weathered by years of labor. She wore a tight-fitting garment that shielded her from the dirt as she worked.

Alex groaned but couldn't suppress a smile as he stood, stretching his arms over his head. "Ugh, fine. But this better be quick."

The small shack they called home sat atop a steep hill, overlooking the village below. The view was stunning, the simplicity of their life a balm to his restless soul. A life of farming, herding sheep—peaceful, beautiful, and, at times, even profitable.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The loud, sharp knocks echoed through the house, shattering the calm.

"I'll get it," Alex muttered, irritated but always polite, as he walked toward the door.

Creak.

"Greetings, gentlemen. How can I help you?" Alex greeted the five armored men at his doorstep, his tone steady despite the surprise.

At just 14 years old, Alex stood taller than most, his height already 175 cm. He towered over some of the soldiers, his broad shoulders adding to the sense that he was not just a boy.

"Greetings. Sylvannis?" one of the taller knights asked, his voice deep and commanding.

"Yes. Come in," Alex replied, stepping aside to let them through.

The soldiers conducted their business, taking the tax and settling into the simple comforts of their home, sipping tea in an almost casual manner before departing.

Later That Evening

The sun had long set, casting the world in hues of deep purple and gold. Inside, the crackle of the fire kept the air warm.

Alex hunched over the fire, carefully placing a slab of meat over the flames, while Mary prepared a thick vegetable soup, the scent of herbs and simmering broth mingling in the air.

"Alex, how do you feel about going down to the village tomorrow?" Mary asked, her voice calm but with a touch of teasing.

Alex didn't look up, focusing on the meat. "What do you mean, Mother?"

Mary smirked, her eyes twinkling. "Don't act stupid now… hehehe. You know what I mean. You're going to become a knight—"

CRACK!

The fire popped loudly, sending a small shower of embers into the air.

Alex's voice dropped, low and serious. "Mother, I'm not planning to become a knight. This is just a mandatory examination. Even if I pass, I won't apply. Why would I sacrifice my life for that damned king who keeps starting wars? Father died because of his pride. I'm not playing that same game."

Mary's smile faltered for a brief moment, and her gaze softened with worry. "But… in two years, you'll have to go anyway."

"Two years is a long time," Alex replied, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll worry about it when the time comes."

Mary sighed quietly, watching him carefully as he pulled the meat from the fire. "Just… be careful, Alex. Not everyone gets a choice."

"Agh, it's too hot… and still raw," Alex muttered, quickly replacing it back over the fire.

Time passed in comfortable silence. The flames crackled as Alex carved wood, his knife moving skillfully through the grain. Mary, her knitting needles clicking softly, sat nearby, lost in thought.

The Next Morning

"Don't forget to check your bag, Alex! I packed everything—HEY! Come back here, young man! I'm not done talking to you!" Mary called, waving a handkerchief as Alex sprinted down the hill, grinning.

"I'll be fine, Mother! Don't worry, I'll be back soon!" Alex called back over his shoulder, already halfway down the winding path.

The hill was steep, the earth loose in some places. Every misstep could send him tumbling, but Alex didn't mind. He was used to it. With the agility of a mountain cat, he leaped from one tree branch to the next, the heavy bag on his back barely slowing him down.

Alex had always been strong. As a child, he could lift five bags of flour without breaking a sweat. Now, at 14, he could chop down entire trees within minutes, his muscles honed by years of hard work.

The journey to the village was short, but exhilarating. Alex took the shortest routes, his feet barely touching the ground as he moved with the ease of someone born for this life.

Soon, he reached the outskirts of the village. The landscape shifted before him—an expanse of wooden houses and cobblestone roads, a medieval world bustling with life. Merchants and traders hurried through the streets, their carts piled high with goods, while horses stamped their hooves in the muddy roads.

"Hey, everyone," Alex greeted an old man near the entrance, a grin on his face.

"Ah, Alex! You've come!" The elderly man, his eyes bright with warmth, smiled back.

"Help us out here, boy!" another old man called out, struggling with a barrel on the back of a donkey-drawn carriage.

"Going to the examination tomorrow, eh? You're lucky. In my day, we had to travel all the way to the capital just to become a knight. Hahaha!" A burly man with a round belly slapped Alex on the back, causing him to stumble slightly.

Alex laughed along, lending a hand as they loaded the barrels.

BANG! The sound of a cart wheel hitting a rock echoed through the street.

With a hop, Alex jumped onto the back of the cart. Together, they rode into the heart of the village.

As they moved through the streets, the mud gave way to cobblestones, then smooth stone pavement. The buildings grew taller, more elaborate, and the village's bustle became more pronounced.

Finally, Alex reached the central fountain, where a massive tent stood, its fabric fluttering in the wind.

"Alexander, right?" a soldier at the entrance asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Yes."

"Wait in line. You're number 234." The soldier handed him a slip of paper and gestured toward a tent filled with other candidates.

Alex made his way inside and slouched into a seat, his back against the cold wooden frame. His eyes wandered over the others in the tent. Some looked eager. Others, like him, seemed disinterested.

"Man, I wish I could skip this," Alex muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Conversations buzzed around him.

"Did you hear? A girl in the village awakened Mage powers!" one candidate whispered excitedly.

"No way! What kind?" another asked.

"Ice-Breaker magic," the first replied, his eyes wide with awe.

"She's going straight to the Mage Academy in the capital," a third chimed in.

"I hope those damn Scios don't get her first…" someone muttered ominously.

"Scios?" Alex frowned, the name unfamiliar.

Before he could ask, a soldier entered, his boots heavy on the stone floor.

"NEXT!" he called sharply.

Alex looked up. Something felt... off.

A shiver ran down his spine, though he couldn't say why.

"Did I imagine it?" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he couldn't explain why.

Alex stood, his legs slightly stiff from sitting too long in the tent. His mind was a swirl of thoughts, the earlier unease still lingering like an itch he couldn't scratch.

The soldier who had called for the next candidate stepped aside, motioning for Alex to approach. As he walked toward the entrance of the examination tent, his eyes scanned the crowd. Faces of nervousness and excitement flickered past him—some hopeful, others resigned.

Alex's heart pounded in his chest as he stepped inside. The tent was dimly lit, with a row of long wooden tables covered in old parchment and thick, inked quills. A trio of stern-looking knights sat behind the tables, their eyes cold as they glanced over the papers in front of them.

"Name?" the knight closest to him asked, barely looking up from the scroll in his hand.

"Sylvannis, Alexander," Alex replied, his voice steady despite the unease crawling up his spine.

The knight scribbled something on his parchment and nodded. "Age?"

"Fourteen," Alex said, his throat dry.

Another knight, this one with a black mark across his cheek, raised his head, locking eyes with Alex. There was something unsettling in his gaze, but Alex couldn't pinpoint what.

"Show us your strength," the first knight commanded abruptly. "Lift the weight."

Alex blinked, taken aback by the suddenness of the request. He turned to see a large stone placed on a wooden pedestal at the far end of the tent. It was no ordinary stone. At first glance, it seemed like any other heavy rock, but the aura surrounding it... there was something about it that made Alex uneasy.

He walked toward it, the eyes of the knights following him intently. As his fingers brushed against the stone, a strange sensation ran through his hands. It was as if the stone was resisting his touch, unwilling to be moved.

Alex's brow furrowed. He wasn't weak—far from it. But this wasn't a test of physical strength alone. It was something else.

He took a deep breath, the air thick and tense. The murmurs from the other candidates outside the tent grew distant as his focus narrowed on the stone before him.

His muscles tensed, and with a grunt, he gripped the stone, lifting it off the pedestal with ease—at least, it should have been easy. Instead, the stone seemed to grow heavier with each passing second. His palms began to sweat, the stone's surface vibrating under his fingers.

The knights watched in silence, their expressions unreadable.

Then, just as Alex thought he could manage it, a sharp, searing pain shot up his arm. His body jerked involuntarily, and for the briefest moment, the stone seemed to pulse, as if reacting to something deep inside him.

His grip faltered, and the stone fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

"What was that?" one of the knights muttered, his voice low and curious.

Alex stood frozen, his heart racing. His arm still tingled from the shock, and he couldn't understand what had just happened. The stone had felt... alive.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. The knights were staring at him, their eyes narrowing. The tension in the tent thickened, an invisible weight pressing down on him.

"I didn't—"

"Quiet," the knight with the black mark on his cheek said, his voice low but firm. "Leave the stone. Come with me."

The knight stood up, gesturing for Alex to follow him outside. Confused and uncertain, Alex moved toward the exit, glancing back at the stone. It lay there, still and silent, as if nothing had happened.

But something inside him told him that this wasn't over.

As he stepped out into the bright sunlight, the soldiers who had been waiting outside fell silent, their gazes now fixed on him. The soldier with the black mark motioned for him to follow as they moved toward the far side of the village square.

Alex's pulse quickened with every step. He had passed the strength test—he was sure of it. But that stone... that sensation... what was that all about?

"Stay here," the knight said abruptly, stopping in front of a small building on the edge of the village. It was different from the others—more imposing, more guarded. Two other soldiers stood at the entrance, their eyes scanning the horizon. They wore the same black insignia as the knight who had led Alex here.

Without waiting for a response, the knight walked inside, leaving Alex standing on the threshold.

Minutes passed, though to Alex, it felt like hours. Every creak of the building made his senses flare. Something wasn't right.

Finally, the door creaked open. The knight reappeared, his face now pale, his brow drenched in sweat. He looked... shaken.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, his voice steady despite the unease building inside him.

The knight didn't respond at first. Instead, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, folded parchment. He handed it to Alex without a word.

As Alex unfolded it, his eyes scanned the note:

"Proceed with caution. Do come out of your sight."

Alex's heart skipped a beat. "What does this mean? Who—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the parchment slipped from his fingers, the ink blurring as if something in the air had distorted it.

The knight's eyes widened. "No..."

A distant, almost imperceptible hum filled the air, like a whisper from far away, pressing into the back of Alex's mind. It was soft at first, then growing louder—like a call, or a warning.

Alex turned, feeling the ground beneath him shift. His chest tightened as the world around him felt... different.

It was as if something inside him had stirred, something that had been dormant for lifetimes.

And for a brief moment, the world seemed to tilt.

Alex stumbled, his fingers grasping for anything to steady himself, but the hum grew louder, sharper. His heart raced in his chest as memories began to flicker in and out of his mind—flashes of a time long forgotten.

A towering city. A desperate face. The sound of thunder cracking the sky.

He gasped for breath, his mind spinning.

"What is happening to me?" Alex whispered, his voice barely audible, his grip tightening on the stone as if to anchor himself to reality.

The knight stood frozen, watching him with a mix of fear and confusion, but Alex was no longer fully aware of his surroundings.

The sensation pulsed again—stronger, more insistent—and just as quickly as it had come, it stopped.

Alex blinked, dazed. The world settled around him again, but the echoes of what had just happened lingered in his mind like a shadow.

The knight slowly stepped forward, his voice low and tense. "You've... whats wrong?"

Alex's head snapped up. "What was that?"

Before the knight could answer, a loud crash rang out from the village square, followed by a chorus of screams. The ground trembled beneath their feet. it was like earthquake shook the entire village

Something was coming.

End Of Chapter.